American Institute of Architects

Despite the number of parks we're lucky enough to have around here, spending your days among the cement paths and buildings of the city can still leave you longing for more greenery. If you get that feeling, you're not alone. The past decade has shown gardens popping up everywhere, from rooftops to the sides of buildings and anywhere in between. The trend doesn't seem to be waning, either, as these unexpected pops of green are not only a welcome change to the typical concrete jungle, but could be the answer to providing locally grown sustainable food to city dwellers, where the space for traditional gardening methods may not exist.

Slicked-out tiny prefabs and cottages have got people looking at sheds in a whole new way, thinking beyond the old rundown backyard tool shack to new, modern mini-buildings that take up little square footage while being able to fulfill one's unique living space needs.